Making quick work of free agency

Ten days after the Giants won the World Series, general manager Brian Sabean is in Indian Wells (Riverside County) for the start of the two-day GM meetings. He'll mingle with peers from other clubs, some of whom will congratulate him, some of whom will try to emulate him.

Sabean lieutenants Bobby Evans and Dick Tidrow also are at the meetings, as are A's GM Billy Beane and assistant David Forst. They're there for usual business - procedural stuff on instant replay, possible rule changes, umpiring and the World Baseball Classic - along with laying the groundwork for their 2013 teams.

There's a twist this year that should allow rosters to be reshaped more quickly. The latest collective bargaining agreement calls for a quicker start to free agency. Instead of waiting until Dec. 7 for free agents who were tendered arbitration to accept offers, we pretty much know the market now, which could lead to more activity at the GM meetings and in the weeks before the winter meetings, Dec. 3-6 in Nashville.

More than 100 free agents are on the market, and another eight are on the fence - those who were given qualifying offers - and we'll know by Friday if they'll be sticking with their teams or available to all.

In other words, let the bidding begin sooner. And don't fear losing as many compensatory draft picks, which aren't as much of a factor now that free agents no longer are classified as Type A and Type B.

The market will grow Nov. 30, the deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players. Those who aren't tendered become free agents. We could have a good idea about roster makeup by then, which is good for players, who like to know their next employers well before the holiday season, and front offices, which like to know the framework early enough to assist in selling season tickets.

At last year's winter meetings, Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle all signed contracts. This year's crop is a step down, but that doesn't mean teams will spend less, especially with gobs more money coming to them from new TV deals.

Either way, a quicker-paced offseason is anticipated, even for those fresh off a World Series appearance.